Oddity
by darkling59
Summary: AU. In the future, life has been found in space. Question is, is the life intelligent or not? Government says not, but a certain violet eyed alien doesn't agree...
1. Preview

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Ummmm….notes. This story has been sitting around my room for a while, I just barely got to putting it up.

IMPORTANT: I probably will not finish this story, at least not for a few years, if I don't get enough reviews.

..yeah. Please review.

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_Italics_ equals thoughts

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Oddity 

Chapter 1- Preview

Humans of the planet Earth always assumed they were the only life in the universe. In 2378, they were proven wrong. Private Spacecrafts, which had been out on the commercial market since 2100, discovered many planets rich in flora and fauna; the most notable of which housed curan race.

At first, nobody knew what to make of the strange creatures. They appeared the be intelligent to a certain extent, but their features reminded humans so much of the non-sentient animals of earth that they instantly assumed the gentle beings were on the same mental level.

The first curan found was a dog-type, a young creature (it appeared to be only the equivalent of 6 yrs old) with furry blonde dog ears and a matching tail was running through a meadow near the ship, chasing some of the insects native to the planet. When one of the explorers attempted to approach it, the curan came happily, wagging its tail with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, it was instantly tranquilized and taken to a lab to be studied. The cub was tested on and found to be an actual fusion of animal DNA to human-like DNA. Hidden properties were rife all over the creature. Claws, fur, strange markings, fangs, limited shape shifting, ability to walk on all four paws or two legs… All were less obvious traits of its race.

After a few months, the scientists assigned to the little one decided that it was an animal, and suitable to be trained as a pet. The chief scientist, a Dr. LaCreuset, took the now 7 yr old being home and named it Mwu, after his deceased son. The creature proved trainable and his species was almost instantly in high demand.

Returning half a year later to the small cluster of planets the 'animals' inhabited, game hunters and explorers went on missions to capture or kill as many creatures as they could for pelts and pets. Cat-types, dogs, bird, sea animals, each one differed from all the others. In less then a year, the few planets inhabited had been cleared completely of the creatures. It took less then a month for scientists to realize what had happened, and to let animals activists know.

Thanks to the efforts of a few specific humans, selling curans in public became illegal and a few of the as yet untamed ones were released back into the wild. Clans were set up; remarkable little places that looked quite a bit like human cities. (Of course, everyone just thought this was an imitation factor, nobody connected that their 'pets' could possibly be intelligent)

In this year, 2400, there are four clans of curans inhabiting a few fringe planets near where they were first discovered. There were five less then a day ago, but one settlement was destroyed by poachers hired by the government. As of yet, not even they know why they were hired for the job, but they are not concerned…they are concentrating on claiming their prey…

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TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

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Next chapter would focus mainly on Kira and the 'hunters'. Although Mwu and Creuset were mentioned here, that doesn't mean they're gonna be main characters. But they might be. Don't know. I'll find out if and when I decide if I'm gonna continue the story

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yeah. REVIEW. :-) 


	2. Capture

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Ummmm….notes. This story has been sitting around my room for a while, I just barely got to putting it up.

IMPORTANT: I probably will not finish this story, at least not for a few years, if I don't get enough reviews.

..yeah. Please REVIEW.

* * *

_Italics_ equals thoughts

* * *

"Hurry! Run!" 

"We're going! Come on!"

"I'll hold them off!"

The acrid scent of blood and burning reached the young curan's sensitive nose, causing him to cough uncontrollably as he watched the scene before him with bleary eyes crusted in the dirt and ash in the air. His friends were running, fleeing the destruction, and leaving him behind to cover their retreat. Assured that they were safe, he whirled around.

_They WILL make it, even if I don't._

"Is that it?"

He tautened, hearing the voices of people approaching on the wind. Voices of **humans.**

"I think so…" A glimmer of hope; would they pass by without noticing him?

CRASH!

"There's one!"

"Get it!"

"It's a female, hurry up!"

"Haha! The markets will pay big for one like this!"

The sound of pounding foot paws reached his ears as the chase progressed in his direction.

_Damn! I wanted to get out of this! But she needs help and I won't just leave her to the slavers. I might not know who it is, but nobody deserves that._

"Ah!"

"Got 'er!"

He leapt forward, climbing nimbly up the side of a charred building to where he could see what was happening. A female curan, one of his own kind, lay on the ground. She had bright crimson hair and was pretty enough to make his eyes widen and his breath catch in his throat. That was bad. The hunters always went to greater lengths when their prey was young and/or pretty. This time was no exception. Her ankles were tangled in expensive-looking electric lines, loops of superconducting rubber and metal that tightened and restrained on contact. Such tools were meant to capture and possibly stun the prey without hurting it.

_That's irony for you, they brutally destroy and slaughter almost the entire clan in the blink of an eye, then use care and expensive equipment to capture a lone female just so they can sell her as a pet. At least some of the clan escaped the culling._

Harsh, ringing footsteps suddenly came to his ears; those that spoke of metal boots and foot coverings that no curan would dream of using. The hunters were coming; there wasn't much time left.

"Hey." He leapt the several feet to the ground and landed next to the girl with quiet ease.

"W…who?" she jerked back, surprised but happy to see another curan.

"Let's get you out of that." His retractable claws shot out and set to work on the unyielding and bulky metal hampering her legs. Finally, it released enough for her to move. To his surprise, she leapt forward and pushed past him, causing him to fall from his perch down a debris pile next to them.

"Hey, wait!" His confused gaze followed her as she ran; temporarily forgetting the danger of staying out in the open.

"This way!" His head shot up. They were coming! Letting out a muffled curse, he leapt up to run…

…only to stumble and fall over some of the rubble.

"This is…what?"

"What is it? Take her down!"

He froze, horrified, for a split second as he realized what had happened. He had been seen.

_Maybe…if I stay still…_

"She's gone!"

"What!"

_They haven't seen me!_ He sighed with relief, then felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"There's another one here! A male!"

"What!" two voices answered in unison.

_Shit._

"Shoot it!" "Get it!"

"I know, I know!"

He leapt to his feet, intending to run, but instantly fell again, a strange twisting sensation burning in his ankle.

"It's injured!" The foot steps were getting closer.

"Good! Maybe things are going well for once!"

Frantically, the young one looked back at what had made him fall. His foot was trapped in the debris! He couldn't move!

_NO!_

-CLICK-

Freezing, he slowly twisted around and stared up, eyes widening in terror.

He was looking down the barrel of a gun.

A sharp crack slammed his ears harshly….

Then the world dissolved in pure white pain.

* * *

"Hmmm…" 

"Hey! Didja get it?"

Athrun turned as his companions caught up.

"Yep. Looks like a young one, too."

"Good!" Yzak climbed up the debris pile to look down; whistling appreciatively at the sight of Athrun's unconscious prey. "That's a good one! Should be able to get prime dollar, even more then we would've for the female."

Dearka finally reached the top, panting.

"Geez, can you guys run any faster? Or do you just enjoy making me feel inferior?"

Yzak snickered but didn't push it.

Athrun laughed, turning back at the sound of a low moan.

"Is that thing waking up already?" Dearka blinked in curious amazement. "From a point blank shot?"

Athrun nodded. "Looks like."

"Wow."

"Yeah, well. If you want to loose out, keep standing there." The human slid down the debris to get closer to the unconscious creature. "I'm going to secure it before it has a chance to wake up."

"Good idea." Yzak landed next to him moments later. "Let's get it back to the ship so it can be registered."

"Dearka! Get down here with that cage!"

"Coming, coming." The blonde stepped off the pile carefully, reaching into his back pack to pull out a small metal box before examining it and setting it on the ground.

"This had better work." Yzak grumbled, threateningly.

"It will; watch." The other stepped back, pressing a button on a small remote that had also emerged from the backpack. A blinding flash of light spread from the box; dissipating seconds later to reveal a cage about five feet tall, wide, and deep.

"Wow. Nice." This time it was Athrun's turn to compliment. Turning away, he picked up his unconscious captive, dropping the creature almost instantly. "Where's the door?"

A slow blink. "Door?"

"Dearka!"

"Just kidding!" laughing, he pushed another button, causing one side of the cage to open in to a door. "Now we just need to bring the ship up."

"All right. You and Yzak do that. I'll take care of things here."

"Roger."

"Gotcha."

The two took off, laughing and bantering as they picked a route through the burning rubble. As Athrun watched them go, he paused slightly to look at their handiwork. They had burned the colony to the ground and killed almost all of the inhabitants.

He sighed fitfully. They were only animals, he shouldn't feel any guilt, but it just didn't seem right somehow. Usually, his companions and he hunted curans singly in the forests to sell to pet stores and traders; it wasn't technically legal, since curans were named endangered several years ago, but it was fun and on the off occasion that they actually caught one, the income was very good.

This job had been different in many ways. For one, they had been contracted by the government and paid in advance. Two, it was a destruction job rather then a hunt, although they had still been searching for prey. The agreement had been that they would completely destroy the colony and cull all the animals too old to be of any use. Another requirement, from the hunters' side, was that they could capture any creatures left and sell them for their own personal gain. No restrictions; they didn't need to be trained, broken, or groomed and they didn't have to sell on the black market.

Another low, animalan moan from behind recaptured Athrun's attention. Their catch was slowly regaining consciousness. He strode over and leaned down.

"Well, my young alien, you are going to make me VERY rich." Reaching out, he fearlessly brushed back the brown bangs obscuring the being's face, revealing surprisingly delicate features.

"This is a surprising: you're male but very fine-featured. And, considering you survived the attack, you're also one tough little bastard. We'll get a good price for you."

"Uuhhhh.."

He arched a brow in surprise. "Heh, it almost sounds like you're trying to talk. Dumb animal." Suddenly uncomfortable, he pulled back. "Why do you look so damn human?" Unconsciously losing the triumphant smirk that had been prominent since the capture, Athrun once again turned away, wiping nervous hands on his pants. "You're actually making me feel guilty!" A scene pushed its way into his head. The young animal right before it was shot. Wide, terrified violet eyes; limbs frozen in fear...there had been intelligence in those eyes. Intelligence only humans should possess.

"That's ridiculous!"

He stalked back over and jerked the curan up, binding a collar around its neck and dropping the young male roughly in the cage. Then he slammed the door and stalked up the debris to wait for his comrades.

"Ridiculous." The mumbled denial left his mouth stubbornly. "There's no way it could've understood. No way…" He couldn't finish it out loud, but within his mind there was no way to cut it off.

_No way it could know what I have done to it and its home and family. No way in hell it could know what will happen to it because of me._

_

* * *

_

"Unnnhh.." Kira opened his eyes with a pained groan. His head heart. And his ankle. And his back. In fact, everything hurt; even his ears.

_What...happened? _All he could remember was burning, fear, and pain. _Wait. Where am I? And what is this thing? _Something cold was digging into the side of his neck. He reached up timidly, almost scared of what could possibly be there. The metal was smooth and unblemished under his hand: it baffled and scared him at the same time. Then he remembered….

_Fire.._

_Running…_

_Friends….Sai, Miri, Tolle, Kuzzy…escaping…_

_Being left behind…_

_A red curan…a girl with strange markings and coloring…_

_She had been stuck…_

_Helping…_

_Her act of fear…_

_His taking her place in a similarly bad situation…_

_And…his capture._

_Capture._

_Capture. So that's what happened. I've been caught. _For the time being, he refused to think any further into it; he knew what would happen to him and it was a curan's worst nightmare.

"Hey, Athrun!"

He started slightly, opening violet eyes and curving his claws almost imperceptively. His captors. He'd forgotten about them.

"Hey Dearka! Lower the hook over here!"

"All right! Did it give ya any trouble?"

"Are you kidding?" A short bark of laughter came from the one that was speaking. Judging from his tone, he was the leader, Kira decided. "No curan can stand up to me! Plus, I think I might've dropped it too hard; it hasn't woken up."

So that's why his back hurt.

A few clanks and scuffling sounds later, and the cage began to rise off the ground, being towed upwards by the airship suspended overhead. The one called 'Athrun' was standing on top of the cage, supervising the lift.

Kira lay where he had originally been dropped, liquid dripping from the corners of his eyes. A low sniff was the only indication to the human that his charge was crying, but the hunter's senses were too dull to pick up the sounds of misery.

Curling up slightly, the young curan clenched his eyes shut and willed himself to once again fall unconscious as the cage was secured and the ship left the atmosphere; refusing to observe his surroundings, all he could dwell on was the fact that he was being taken away from the destroyed remains of the only home he'd ever known in the care of the very monsters that had destroyed it.

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TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

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	3. On the Ship

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Well, I know most people don't like this story.

Didn't get many reviews; however, I was just itching to do this and little caged Kira was too tempting to let go.

I kinda/sorta know when the next chapter will be. Well, might be. If I get enough reviews. If people don't like it, I won't put it up. –shrug- simple as that.

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

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_Italics_ equal thoughts 

>blah> equal words spoken in curan tongue

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**Last Time: **

_Kira lay where he had originally been dropped, liquid dripping from the corners of his eyes. A low sniff was the only indication to the human that his charge was crying, but the hunter's senses were too dull to pick up the sounds of misery._

_Curling up slightly, the young curan clenched his eyes shut and willed himself to once again fall unconscious as the cage was secured and the ship left the atmosphere; refusing to observe his surroundings, all he could dwell on was the fact that he was being taken away from the destroyed remains of the only home he'd ever known in the care of the very monsters that had destroyed it._

**Oddity**

Chapter 2: On the Ship

**---------------------**

"Mmmm…"

"Looks like it wasn't as strong as you thought; It's only just waking up."

"Hey, it survived a point-blank shot to the head, didn't It?"

_Oh no, not them again. I've already been captured, separated from my friends and family, and am about to be sold as a slave. What else can they do to me?_

"Yeah, whatever."

"We're safely en route, correct?"

"Of course, oh Glorious Captain, we aren't THAT inept."

"Oh, shut up Dearka." The words, though literally harsh, were softened by a humorous tone.

_Funny, they sound like Sai and Kuzzy, bickering, having fun after hunting or around the fire._

Dimly, Kira heard two sets of shoes tap away accompanied by rough human voices talking in a strange language about a 'vet'. Whatever that meant. Most of the conversation didn't penetrate his morose nostalgia.

_I wish I was back there, that this had never happened. I'd be better off dead then here. But if I were dead, my friends wouldn't have escaped. Neither would that red girl, the one that accidentally pushed me before I was caught. _ (He was too good natured to pin the blame on her). _Come to think of it, I've seen her before! Sai was courting her way back, until she broke it off because he was 'a different type'. Mir said she was stuck up and manipulating Sai for her own amusement, but how could anyone be so cruel? I think she was probably just misunderstood. After all, appearances can be deceiving. I sure wish mine was._

Unhappily, the youth finally roused, flinching in response to the pain still shooting along his back and arms. Upon reaching a sitting position, he pulled back into a corner of the cage away from what he assumed was the door, to observe his surroundings, keen eyesight compensating for the dim lighting.

His cage was small, about 5 ft in every direction, and made of hard metal bars on four sides. The floor and ceiling appeared to be solid plates of the same material. The room beyond was large, but hard to approximate because boxes, crates, and miscellaneous odds and end filled so much. In other words, it was boring. The dismal atmosphere just furthered the cub's mood.

_Dark and dank, of course. And crowded, there are far too many old smells here. Unnatural food, that packaged not-meat humans eat, leather, metal, the same fuel used to burn the colony, dust, and worst of all, _he huddled further back to press against the bars, _the blood and sweat of the Kin they've captured and broken in the past. Kami-sama, I really don't want that to happen to me, but there's no way to escape. And even if I did escape, they would just go back to capture someone else._

>No, I won't let that happen.>

Spoken aloud, the words gained strength and provided motivation. He might be emotional, but optimism was part of his nature, weakness was not. To gain courage, he continued to speak aloud, in a tongue no human could understand.

>I took this pathway to save my friends, it was my own choice. I will go through with it to maintain their freedom, I'll take strength in the fact that they are still alive and free as a result of my sacrifice.>

The future did not look good, but Kira was willing to face it with optimism.

_No, matter what happens, I'm still me and I'll always have my pride. Who knows? Maybe these humans have a good side._

* * *

"So what do you think?" 

"Is this all the information you have?"

"Well, It's down in the cargo bay, so I figured if you needed pictures, one of us could go down and get some."

"It's in the cargo bay?" Gentle ruby eyes widened at Athrun, before narrowing in suspicion. "Did you kill it?"

"What? No! Nicol, hard as it might be to believe, the three of us actually caught a curan. As far I can tell, It's young and strong, but I need your official opinion: Is it any good?"

The young man Athrun was addressing glanced at the information spread out on the exam table in front of him with a frown. Most of it was jotted, handwritten notes on sizes and colors, specs on the materials used for the capture, and damage reports. The rest of the information the poachers had brought back, from this mission and others, was neatly organized and stored (by Nicol) in manila folders on a counter beside the door.

"No offense Athrun, but if the creature is in as good shape as you claim, It should have easily escaped or evaded you. Are you positive it's not sick or crippled in some way?"

_Damn. _Athrun's shoulders drooped He'd known it was too good to be true. So close! They'd been so close to a winning catch!

"Do you think you'll be able to fix him? I mean, you do have degrees in both veterinary and medical science."

Sympathetically, Nicol conceded with a warning. "I can take a look and attempt to diagnose, but curans are a new race from a different planet, likely with an anatomy different from any I've ever seen. Honestly, you'd be better with a biologist and if you bring It up here, there's no telling what will happen."

"I trust you Nicol." Athrun smiled encouragingly at the medical officer. It quickly morphed to a smirk. "And this way, you get a cut of the final price!"

Nicol smiled, albeit slightly sadly, "Guess so. Why don't you bring your catch up? I'll fasten those restraints you bought to the table while you're gone."

Missing the sadness, Athrun agreed and left, humming a jaunty tune while making his way to the storage bay.

* * *

Minutes later, the leader stood silently outside the heavy door, his way to the creature. He couldn't help but hope it wasn't awake yet, even if the event meant head trauma or injury. Those eyes, the ones that had touched him during the capture, would draw guilt and be impossible to ignore. 

_It's not like I wanted to do any of it, and I haven't hurt him or anything, I mean…NO, I am NOT going to think like this._

"I'm pathetic." With a disgusted snort, Athrun touched the keypad beside the door. "A hunter caring what an animal thinks? Pfeh."

Reaching for the lights, an odd sight met emerald eyes. Slight movement and…glitter? A fluid motion brought bright illumination, flooding the room and drawing a cry of pain from the one within.

It was awake. For the second time, Athrun got a good look at his captive, this time fully functioning and aware.

The general features were the same; expressive violet eyes, dark hair, slight but strong figure; but the spirit and appearance were completely different. Wild pride and fear radiated from the creature, crouching at the rear of the small cage as he was, even when still and silent. Shadows seemed to flow around the facial features, casting them in darkness and making the eyes more prominent. Mesmerized, Athrun watched as they danced over the skin, all but turning the youth into a part of the room, just scenery.

"So," realization dawned "This is why you didn't move when I first saw you, isn't it?"

A rapid blink and slight tensing of muscles was the only answer.

"You must have some sort of camouflage, an unconscious ability that would have made you invisible in a few more minutes."

He strode forward, squatting just out of arm reach in front of the cage to study the curan cub closely, smiling at the nervous growl that greeted the movement.

"If Nicol can confirm your ability…" he left the sentence hanging, shaking his head in disbelief, eyes never leaving the camouflage shadows as dollar signs danced through his head. What a catch!

"But first, I need to get you to him. And I'm not about to risk those claws and fangs by doing it manually. Stay put, I'll be right back."

* * *

_Why'd he get so close to me? I don't know him and he's HUMAN; is this how they treat my kind? Or do they treat everyone like this? What is he doing?_

The human was moving around the room, rummaging through boxes along what seemed to be the supply section, pulling strange metal tools out of various places.

_I've heard of devices like that. _A low, nearly panicked whine drew a raised eyebrow. _I overheard Orga and Shani talking about it. It's supposed to be really painful._

"Well." Fearfully, Kira pressed himself against the bars, watching the human approach with what looked like a spike tipped pole. "Never used this before. Actually, we just restocked, bought everything on the black market."

By now, the young curan could feel the metal bars digging into his back and heels. The guy was trying to calm him with soft words and a soothing tone, but Kira wasn't going to buy it. He'd run the second the door opened, intention be damned.

CLANK…….chk'chk'chk'chk'…

"There! Now!"

WHAM!

"Ah, HELL!"

_Yes! I'm free! All fours are good for faster running; but…where do I go? He closed the door when he got inside and I can't open it, I don't know how._

The moment's hesitation was all Athrun needed.

"Yipe!"

_No! Wait, what? My neck is pulling…hurts…The COLLAR! I forgot! (1)  
_

Something was stuck to the collar, pulling him slowly but inexorably towards the hunter and something standing beside him. A...container of sorts. No, another cage, nothing more then a wooden box on wheels with one side able to slide in and out of position like a makeshift door. Despite the pain in his neck and hopelessness of the action, Kira extended his claws and resisted, drawing up slivers of metal from the floor and leaving long grooves in his wake.

* * *

Athrun struggled, jerking on the pole as hard as he could. The beast moved maybe an inch and a half. 

How was a creature so small so friggin' strong? And while injured!

"Come ON already!" frustrated, he twisted the tool, forcing the collar into Kira's neck and gaining a few more inches of ground.

A low, unhappy keen was the only response.

"Fine. If you want to play rough, I'll play rough."

He twisted the pole roughly, slamming it to the floor and forcing Kira's head down with it, knocking him off balance and into a sprawl.

The miserable whine in reaction to the harsh treatment did not go unnoticed.

_Hah! Gotcha! Can't get purchase like that, can you? Let this be your first lesson: with resistance comes pain. _Another twist and the curan lay dazedly on his back, clutching at the collar with one hand and attempting to rotate his other limbs to increase friction on the semi-smooth surface. Noticing, Athrun started pulling, dragging the other across the floor for several seconds until Kira managed to reorient himself on all fours.

Right…in front…of the crate.

_Come on…_ Athrun watched tensely as the creature froze. Now, It would either stay there in shock or attempt to dart away. If it ran, Athrun would be forced back into the former situation. But if he worked while it was still in shock…He began to creep forward, moving up the pole cautiously and quietly as possible.

When he was directly behind…

"EYAH! MOVE MOVE!"

"Euh? YIPE!"

…all it took was a harsh yell to force Kira forward on instinct.

For a moment, he didn't even register the box in his path.

That is, not until the open side slid shut, the pole released his collar, and everything went black.

* * *

_Trapped. AGAIN!  
_

The young curan crouched, cramped and disbelieving in the near darkness as thumps and guttural exclamations, words in the human language, emanated from outside. Oddly, he wasn't nearly as scared as he had been.

_How could I have been so stupid? I knew what he was trying to do! And I could have easily seen through that little trick if I tried. Guess I've already screwed up my decision to 'make the best of the situation' when I tried to run. Leader was really angry. _With a wince, he gently touched the collar and abused skin beneath. _Or at least he seemed angry. I really hope he's not like that all the time and that I haven't made him an enemy by resisting. Making the guy in charge of destroying my life despise me would not be smart._

"Finally. Stupid wheels."

_What is-? _>OW!>

"Let's go see the Doctor. Hope I didn't give you another concussion."

Kira groaned unhappily, rubbing his head where it had hit the abrasive wood. Apparently, the major difference between this box and the other was that this one moved. That, and the size. Gloomily, he surveyed what little there was of his new surroundings; having been too immersed in thought to notice anything on a conscious level before. He'd been forcibly yanked back to reality when the box began moving and forced him off balance and into the side.

_I hope this is temporary. _Absently, he leaned against the side, rubbing the sore marks on his neck and inspecting the collar by feel as he looked around.

The box appeared to be just a crate, slatted wood on all sides with no adornments. It was too small for him to do anything; lie down, stand up, sit, even turn around; and would have been oppressive and stifling if not for the air holes.

_Hmmmm…_

There were twelve 1.5 inch diameter holes punched in the box, three on each side, to allow ventilation.

_Or_, a slight smile flitted over his face, _to be used as windows._ Silently, he set one eye near a hole and pricked his ears. The rest of the ship had to be more interesting then that little storage room.

Or not. Metal was all he could see; the walls and floor were of stainless steel with no furnishings whatsoever. Slightly disappointed, he turned to a different hole; one directly in front of his face.

His captor, Leader, was pushing the wheeled box.

For the first time, Kira took a long impartial minute to study the hunter.

Taller then the curan boy by a good several inches when standing, the male human had a firm jaw and determined emerald eyes. His skin was tough, but not weathered or calloused, signifying he most likely had not been in the slavery business long. But then why did the storage room and tools smell so much like blood and death? Also, he just…wasn't _right_.

_He doesn't feel cruel; strong-minded, yes, if slightly anxious and moody, but not cruel or intentionally mean. But why did he destroy the colony if he's not a monster? And why does he look so worried? Is it about me?_

Kira's confusion grew. For the first time, he wished he'd paid attention when the human was speaking at him. He did not know the human language, but learning couldn't be _that_ hard. Seeing as the clan elders had made the youngsters take a course in languages, not teaching how to speak but rather how to learn and listen. Most had not understood so the class was dropped, but the method had stuck with Kira.

"Ya okay in there, cub?"

A thump on the box startled him, drawing a surprised squeak and scuffle as the curan shifted in the confined space. A relieved laugh brought him back to the middle air hole to gaze at the other in surprise.

The worry, though not the guilt, had faded from Leader's face. It HAD been about Kira.

"For a minute, I was afraid you were seriously injured. I mean, you're completely silent! Hang in there, I know it's cramped, but we're almost there."

Sensitive ears twitched madly, attempting to translate.

_Almost where? And why does he sound so…calm? Is he trying to comfort me? The others would be angry if they were in my situation, after what the hunters did, but…I'm not. Why? I should be. But he sounds…nice. Even after my escape attempt. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought._

"Nicol, I'm back!"

_What? Nicol? That's a … name, I think._

"Hey, did you bring up the curan cub?"

"Yeah, in here."

A slight '_tmp'_ as Leader, Kira had yet to hear a name, patted the box.

"Is It really that small?"

"Well, he fits if that's what you mean. But the crate is designed for small to medium sized, so he is a bit cramped."

A 'tsk'ing sound greeted that.

"That's cruel!"

"No it's not, he was trying to escape and in there, I don't need to chase or scare him again. Less stress all around. Plus, there's no way for him to hurt himself if he can't move."

"Well, I guess…"

"Are you set to look him over?"

_Look me over? _For some reason, a sense of foreboding made Kira shuffle uneasily.

"Yep! I've set up the restraints you gave me. I'll need help getting the muzzle on and the paws in the table cuffs, but that shouldn't be too hard, right?"

_Oh, I really don't like the sound of **that.**_

But all he could do was twitch and shuffle his paws miserably. Suddenly, he wanted to stop understanding, buy was helpless to do anything as the conversation continued.

"I don't think so. Bugger's pretty strong, but not particularly violent."

"Bugger? Is that what you're going to call It?

"A name, you mean? Heh, I'm not sure, maybe."

"Well, it's better then some I've heard. Are you ready?"

"Yep. Got the gloves I gave you? You don't want to get bitten or scratched."

"I have them."

"Good. Ready?"

Kira could feel the anticipation and tensed, adrenaline running and goading him to attempt yet another escape. Instincts are hard to beat.

"One…"

_But, wait…the door is behind me! I came in the other way!_

"Two…"

Panicking, he jerked slightly, trying to look over his shoulder at the entrance and press against the back defiantly. No matter how vulnerable he looked, the claws on his hind paws were just as sharp as those on the front. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Three!"

WHAM!

"Oof!"

Bright white light exploded around him as the wall gave way.

"Whoa!"

"I got him, hang on!"

Apparently, both ends of the cage were doors.

Rough hands shoved down, pinning his arms and legs to the floor, making sure sharp claws and fangs were immobilized as Kira flailed, snarling angrily. Still half blind from the sudden light, the youngling barely noticed as a different figure knelt next to his head holding another strange tool…

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

* * *

(1) Athrun put a training collar on him in chapter one when he was caught. 

Sorry about the quality, I know I'm not at my best right now, and the language barrier doesn't really work. I tried to make it that Kira picked up every few words at first, then understood nearly all when he tried to learn.

But I'm pretty sure it doesn't quite work in the story.

And the ending sucked, but it was the best I could come up with for the situation.

Ummm…yeah! Oh, and if you want the inches/feet translates to centimeters/meters just PM me and I'll give them to you.

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter!

Seeya later.


	4. Checkup

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Well, I know most people don't like this story.

Didn't get many reviews; however, I was just itching to do this and little caged Kira was too tempting to let go.

Ummm…not really sure why I continued.

Didn't get many reviews and as such it's really low on the totem pole. It was a bit of a personal goal to finish two chapters of each of my stories before I go back to school.

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

* * *

_Italics_ equal thoughts 

>blah> equal words spoken in curan tongue

* * *

**Last Time: **

_Rough hands shoved down, pinning his arms and legs to the floor, making sure sharp claws and fangs were immobilized as Kira flailed, snarling angrily. Still half blind from the sudden light, the young curan barely noticed as a different figure knelt next to his head holding yet another strange tool…_

**Oddity**

Chapter 3: Checkup

**---------------------**

"So, is that it?"

"Whew! Yes. Waist, ankle, wrists, neck, mouth…that pretty much covers it."

"You're sure he can't hurt me?

"Positive. Nicol, he's bound too tight to even move, let alone attack you. Plus, he's face down with all possibly harmful body parts facing the table."

"Well, alright. Better get started then. You'll stay, right?" The medic/vet turned to Athrun with wide eyes. "In case something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong."

"But…"

"However, yes. I will stay."

"Very well then." Fatalistically, Nicol turned towards the examining tape and clicked on his recorder to begin and document the analysis.

_Oh not good. Not good at all. So much for any of them having a good side._

"Subject is…male curan cub. Approximately sixteen years in age, judging by size and muscle tone."

Kira whimpered quietly, unable to make much noise through the strange metal contraption screwing his mouth shut. The humans had called it a muzzle or something. But the restraints were not the worst part. Intrusive hands were cutting away his homespun shirt to poke and prod impersonally.

_What is…? >_ NO! No, don't touch me there!> he tried to yell in curan, but the muzzle kept his mouth shut.

"Subject is slightly malnourished." Nicol's hands trailed between the cool table and his stomach, then along twitchy side muscles, drawing shivers and flinches. "Also has…? Pause recording." A vague click was heard as the contraption turned itself off.

"Nicol? What's wrong?"

"Athrun, this doesn't add up."

_Athrun? So that's Leader's name._

"What?"

"Look." Cool hands began mapping the dirty body spread in front of them professionally. "It has long, semi reversible ears, almost equine."

"I noticed, but the rest of the body is human, like most curans, so it's just a horse type, right?"

"Wrong. It doesn't have a horse's tail. Also, look at his back."

A slight squeal ripped from Kira's constricting vocal cords as two pairs of hands touched his most secret, sensitive area. It was always covered by a shirt; not even his parents knew about his…

"Feathers?"

_I wish I could understand all of what they're saying. _Kira thought miserably, unable to relax or protest his vulnerable position.

"Yes."

"But horses don't have feathers."

"No, they don't; that's why this doesn't add up."

"Do you think it could be some sort of new, undiscovered type?"

"I guess. But don't get your hopes up. It might just be some sort of mutation."

"Great!" Emerald eyes lit up. The rarer the race, the more costly the specimen.

"Ummm…One problem."

"What?" the nervous fear in Nicol's voice brought uncertainty to Athrun's happiness. "To tell more, I'd need to get a good look at his claws and teeth."

"So?"

"So I don't want to get bitten!"

"Oh," an uncomfortable silence fell for several seconds. Athrun didn't want to do it either. "We can do that last, can't we?"

"Yes! I mean –cough- I suppose so." Athrun chuckled slightly at Nicol's relief and went back to his post as an observer, brushing off a faint stab of pity at the prostrate form of his prisoner.

"Right; carry on Doc."

"Yeah, yeah…Recording on."

Slight static made Kira's ears twitch as Nicol returned to his task.

"Procedure will include a cursory manual body type exam followed by a health exam for parasites and contagions using tools. Injury examination will follow at a later date when animal is trained. Next step…"

Miserably, the young curan tuned out his captor. There was noting to be done, nobody to stop the degradation. Surprisingly, he'd understood almost all of the last statement and was unable to suppress a mental cringe.

"Now removing last of native clothing."

As his pants were removed, cut as his shirt had been, Kira could do nothing but clench his eyes shut and remind himself to go numb, that there was nothing he could do and his thoughts and feelings should retreat to deep within his mind for the duration of the torture.

* * *

Two hours later, the exam was finally finished, to the relief of both males involved. 

"Done yet?"

"Yes Athrun, I'm done. Good job with the restraints; he didn't so much as snap at me."

Athrun preened, standing taller and putting his chin up.

_Posturing_ Nicol noticed with amusement.

"It was no big deal. I work well with animals. With these guys, you just need to know how to handle them." Feigning fearlessness, the captain touched Kira's long ears lighting before stroking the large feathers covering his thin back. A piece of cloth had been pulled over Kira's lower half to detract from Nicol's discomfort. (They didn't think the curan would care either way.)

"Yes, yes, we all know you're a macho man Athrun."

The smile became sheepish.

"But this is serious. Come look at my results."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, his body is fine, if a little unkempt and _very_ dirty. It's nothing a few days of regular meals and a bath can't take care of. I haven't really done much of a physical; looking for broken bones and such makes me nervous when his body is so tense. If I push, I might just hurt him more. However, I did find a very obvious patch of swelling around the right ankle; I'm guessing he twisted it trying to escape and that's what allowed you to make the catch."

"Well that's good."

Neither of them noticed violet eyes blink open to fall on them, understanding and degradation prominent in their depths.

"Yes, I suppose. Other then that, he doesn't have any serious contagions. The only non-serious ones he has are a few normal ailments most wild animals have; that planet's equivalent of fleas and mites.

"Fleas?" Athrun jerked his hand away as if burned.

"Well, almost. A chemical supplement to his water should take care of the problem within a couple days provided he doesn't refuse to drink. It's the mites I'm worried about."

"Why?" Athrun shifted uneasily. _I don't like the look he's giving me._

"Well….the ears are a very sensitive and secluded part of any being's anatomy. Therefore, medication must be applied directly to the orifice. Oral and topical medications wouldn't work."

_Is he saying what I think he's saying?_ Unknown to the captain, his prisoner was considering the exact same prospect.

Nicol fidgeted slightly.

"You'll need to put two drops in each ear twice a day for a week."

"WHAT? Nicol, It's a vicious animal! What makes you think I'll be able to even get that close?"

"You asked for my analysis and diagnoses so I'm giving it."

"Oh wonderful. And any buyer will want a healthy creature, so if I don't do this, we're out of luck." Kira's depression sunk even further at the tone in Leader's voice. As if the situation wasn't bad enough.

Athrun turned towards the door. "Guess I'd better-."

"Hang on."

He paused; hand on door button (1). "There's more?"

"Well, we never did the teeth."

"Feh," he waved a hand in dismissal as the door opened. "We can do that later, when the curan's trained. Could you keep an eye on him while I set up one of Dearka's expanding cages on the bridge? I've decided he needs more human interaction."

"I guess. I mean, the restraints are still working."

"Thanks."

The door closed with a hiss of displaced air.

"Well, guess it's just you and me cub. What did Athrun call you before? Bugger?"

Kira's ears drooped at the name. Wonderful; they were going to take away his identity along with his dignity. He'd understood several of the worlds Nicol had used during the briefing and none of them improved his disposition. _Ear drops? Mites? Fleas? _If he'd been able to move, the youth would have curled up as small as possible in the darkest corner he could find, underneath the only garment they'd left him. _Why'd they take my clothes? I mean, I know they were checking over my body, but they didn't need to go that far. _Without a doubt, the check up had been the most intrusive, demoralizing, and dehumanizing experience of his short life. _That's another thing. Why do they keep calling me cub? That means I'm a baby and they're about my age give or take a few years._

"Poor little guy."

Kira went rigid as something brushed his ears.

"It's rough for you, isn't it?"

_The one that was hurting me? Well, not physically but crushing my spirit is even worse._

"I mean, you just lost everything and now you're forced into an ordeal like this. It **was** necessary, though. And it won't be you last."

_Oh great, I'll have to go through this again. Necessary? How could hurting me like this be necessary? _Kira was slowly relaxing under the massaging hand, having grown used to the hard surface he was resting on.

"We had to make sure you had no diseases we could catch, a very real risk considering how compatible our two races are."

_Compatible? What's that mean?_ Kira allowed he eyes to drift shut; taking solace in the only comfort he'd been offered.

"Also," Nicol was too distracted by his own thoughts to notice the reaction his ministrations garnered "Athrun wanted me to find out what type you are. He thought you were a horse based on your ears and short fur on your neck, but those back feathers negate that theory. Not to mention your claws are retractable like a felines. Oddly, they're also curved like an eagle's talons. And that's without drawing attention to the strangest feature!" His hand drifted lower, pushing the cloth covering Kira's lower portion until the base of his spine was revealed, then touched the exposed coil of fur and muscle lightly. "What kind of curan winds their tail around their waist? And why is it a lion's tail?"

A gentle purr broke his concentration.

Incredulously, he looked back to the head, where his other hand had not stopped stroking. The eyes, closed throughout the procedure, were now half lidded happily and for the first time, his muscles were relaxed.

_He's acting like he's already trained _Nicol watched with surprise. _Well, no actually. Trained ones stay silent and follow obediently. They don't react when touched. He's acting like a domestic animal. An unbroken one. Maybe because he's a cub?_

Kira was paying no attention to his former tormentor. He'd resolved to make the best of the situation, right? It was not hard to allow his mind to wander as the human touched his feathers and fur gently.

* * *

"Nicol?" Athrun's quiet voice drew only a glance from the young human. "The cage is set up. I can take the curan up to the bridge now." 

"Um, yeah." But he didn't move from beside Kira's head. "Athrun, come here."

"Hm?" curiosity, then disbelieving amusement. "Maybe it won't be too hard to train him after all. He looks perfectly happy." Nicol blushed, dropping his hand. "You want to try his teeth now?"

"Alright. But we need to take off most of the restraints."

Athrun shifted slightly, trying not to be nervous. "Okay."

"Ready?" They positioned themselves on either side of the still-lethargic curan. "Yeah."

"One…Two…Three!"

"Yip!"

_Ow! What?_

"Careful! You woke him up!"

"Put the restraints back on!"

_Restraints? Those bands? No!_

With a panicked yip, Kira lunged away from the voice, shooting across the room on all fours until he hit the opposing wall. Then he turned and hissed, exposing lengthened canines in what he hoped was a ferocious snarl.

"Well there you go. He's got fangs."

"S-so I s-see."

_Wait a minute…I ran across the room. I thought I was tied down._

"Pretty strong as well." Athrun's nervousness did not make him stutter, at least not as bad as Nicol, but he reeked of fear to the sensitive nose of a curan. The two of them had just made a very grave mistake.

Kira looked down at himself and his eyes widened. The restraints that were attached to his collar, for legs, and waist were gone, as was the muzzle. Those on his hind ankles had been ripped, most likely on accident when he'd started the mad dash.

But that wasn't the worst part. He was still naked.

With an undignified cry, he instantly dropped the rest of the way down, losing any pretense of savagery as he blushed bright red.

The scent of fear was quickly replaced with cautious amusement.

"Maybe we should give him some clothes?" it was the sympathetic tormenter. Kira whined hopefully in response.

"Normally I'd say no because he's filthy and would just smell up anything we give him, but I think I'd be able to scrounge something up.

_I…really didn't understand that. Hope he meant yes._

Embarrassed as inhumanly possible, the cub watched his captor leave and return a moment later with a pair of loose black pants and a hooded shirt. _Sweatshirt _Kira reminded himself _Humans call it a sweat shirt._

"Will these work Nicol? They'll fit his body type?"

"I think. But I don't know if he'll understand the zipper for the pants or the hood on the sweatshirt."

"Hopefully I'll be able to recapture him while he's trying to figure them out."

"Good idea. Um, how are we going to get them to him without being mauled?"

"Simple. We toss them."

_Yes!_ Kira caught the garments as the leader threw them at him, scrambling to get into the pants. He abandoned the strange metal thing on the front in favor of the shirt. _Alright, this is the right way. Praise to Kami-sama they actually have enough decency to give me clothes. Now this thing…Oh! You just pull! My tail doesn't fit inside, but they've already seen it. Doesn't matter.. _With a bit of apprehension, he uncurled the long tail around his waits to hang over the waist band of the pants before finishing with the zipper and pulling the sweatshirt down to conceal his feathers. Already, the poked and violated feeling from Nicol's tools was leaving. But why hadn't the humans attacked him like they'd planned to? He'd been vulnerable for a good five minutes.

Inquisitively, he looked to the humans. They hadn't moved. They'd watched him _dress_?

Both were gaping at the bashful, now very uncomfortable, curan.

"A-Athrun."

"I know Nicol."

"He looks…" Nicol swallowed, refusing to blink in disbelief. "He looks **_human_**."

Dressed in modern clothes with feathers, fur, and training collar covered, the young captive could have been any one of a million human teens.

Considering how they'd just destroyed his home, trapped him, tied him to a table, stripped him, and examined his body without an ounce of gentility or consideration…

Well, let's just say it was not a comfortable feeling.

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

* * *

(1) They're sliding doors so he pushes a button rather then turning a knob or handle.

* * *

Meh, still not sure about the language barrier. 

Heheheheh. **Has anyone guessed what kind of animal Kira is?** It is fairly well known. If you know, tell me! There might be something in it for those that get it right. XD

Another sucky ending.

Let me know if there were any discrepancies; I can't remember if I discussed Kira's markings and fur color in previous chapters and couldn't find it when I looked back but that doesn't mean it's not there.

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter!

Seeya later.

* * *

Thanks for reviewing: 

**Anime-rocks05**

**Maryam Khanoom**

**Animelover**

**Nevermore-Amaya**

**Kira'sNewfoundAngel**

**Tai-dye**

**Feral-Kristiana**


	5. To the Bridge

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Well, I know most people don't like this story but I seem to keep forgetting that when I start writing. Eventually I'll get it through my head and stop updating but apparently not this week.

This is an installment in my ode to presidents' week :) A full week with no school! And lots of writing time.

Oh, and: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a young woman I knew who died of bone cancer last week. May you rest in peace Christina, we will all remember you.

* * *

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

* * *

_Italics_ equal thoughts

* * *

**Last Time: **

_Dressed in modern clothes with feathers, fur, and training collar covered, the young captive could have been any one of a million human teens._

_Considering how they'd just destroyed his home, trapped him, tied him to a table to, stripped him, and examined his body without an ounce of gentility or consideration…_

_Well, let's just say it was not a comfortable feeling._

**Oddity**

Chapter 4: To the Bridge

**---------------------**

_Why are they just staring at me? _Kira's tail flipped nervously as he regarded his captors and scratched at the strange feeling cloth. It felt…wrong. Covered too much skin and rubbed his fur and feathers the wrong way.

_I wish I could just wear my normal clothes. _He eyed what was left of them sadly where they lay on a counter several feet away. _But that human who was touching me cut them up._

He ignored his captors as they began talking and turned their backs (literally) on him, choosing instead to examine the room he'd been brought to. This being the first time, since he'd been captured actually, that he could see without the impediment of bars or restraints.

The room reeked of disinfectant and metal, offensive to his sensitive nose. There was no fresh air and no obvious windows. Everything was clean, bright metal.

It was terrible.

Where was the gentle, nurturing scent of the wind? The woodsy feel of trees and earth? The soft colors and rounded edges of nature? The slight noises of animals and brethren, pack mates, accessible even in the deepest recesses of the forest?

It was all just too…too _much_. Too sharp or too smooth, too bright or too dark, too loud or too soft. Nothing was right, nothing was natural.

_Is this how it always is? I-I don't want this. I don't like this. _With a soft whimper, almost too faint to be detectable, he dropped to all fours and pressed back against the wall slightly. _This is my fate? To live in these conditions? Is this how all humans live?_

He did not notice the humans or the way their conversation was forced into sounding comfortable. Nor did he smell the extreme feelings coming off both in waves and their averted eyes, so focused was he on shutting out the terrors of the human world.

_I need to get out of here._

Athrun did not notice as the creature took in his surroundings, he was too busy talking with Nicol and skirting the curan's human appearance almost desperately.

"So you don't know what he is? What kinds of markings does he have?"

"No idea for either. You must have dragged him through a mountain of ashes to get him here; I couldn't even see the color of his fur let alone any markings. Give him a bath and bring him back, then I might be able to tell you."

"Do you think he'll train well?"

"I'm not exactly the best person to judge that." Nicol was just as desperate to avoid the topic as Athrun.

"But you know how he acted while you were checking him over."

"He was restrained. Besides, you saw as much as I did."

"No I didn't, I was on the bridge for a while setting up a new cage."

"Nothing much happened while you were gone, nothing you didn't see when you got back."

Athrun cracked a small smile at that, remembering the sight he'd returned to. A strange low sound, like a whine, made him frown and shake his head slightly.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"I don't know, I thought I heard something."

"I didn't."

"Well, maybe it was just my ears playing tricks on me."

"Hm…" Nicol looked around the room, taking in the familiar, semi comfortable surroundings and examining them for anything unusual that could have caught Athrun's attention.

There was nothing.

Wait, there was nothing?

"Athrun, where is he?"

"Huh? Isn't he right…oh shit."

The curan was no longer standing in the corner where they'd left him.

"Alright, we just need to stay calm."

"Calm? Athrun, there's a vicious animal loose on the ship! And it's our fault for not restraining it!"

"I don't think he's really that vicious."

"Maybe not by nature, but he's still a wild animal in a strange place. He's most likely terrified and as a result very volatile and temperamental right now. If he sees someone, he's likely to attack out of fear. Not to mention the damage he could do to the ship!"

"He's not going to damage the ship."

"Are you sure? Engine room three is only a few doors down and what do you think will happen if those sharp talons get close to the circuitry?"

"Talons?"

"Talons, claws, whatever. We won't know what they are until I find out what he is. That's not the point. The point is the damage they're capable of."

"I'll go find him."

"Alone? Why don't I call Yzak or Dearka?"

"No, Yzak has his bridge shift and Dearka's probably annoying him. Besides, wouldn't it be better to keep the occupancy of the hallways down to a minimum? I might not be an expert on the way curans think like you are, but I know they get nervous and make mistakes when they get scared by a lot of noise. It makes them easier but more dangerous to hunt. I'm guessing I want to get close to ours without scaring it."

"That sounds effective in theory. You think having more people will just scare him away then?"

"Yes. Why don't you stay here and make sure the crate is open and ready for when I return?"

"Alright. Be careful."

"Heh, right."

"I'm serious!"

"I'll be fine Nicol." With a reassuring smile, Athrun departed, making sure to close the door this time.

As soon as he was sure the other boy couldn't see or hear him anymore, the phony smile dropped like a brick of lead.

_Oh this is not good. Those claws and teeth he flashed at us in Nicol's exam room are long enough to tear through me like tissue paper. I don't have the others with me and all the weapons and restraints are too bulky to carry while chasing such a quick creature. The only weapons I have that are small enough are either lethal or painful. I don't want to put him through that, especially considering it would be amplified by the training collar I put on him. _

_My only chance is to scare him into running back to the crate Nicol's preparing. I got the impression he's more frightened then angry and will only fight if I corner him, otherwise he'll run._

Athrun strode swiftly down the hallway, checking rooms as he went. The curan couldn't possibly know how to open doors, at least not yet, so the search was confined to already open spaces. He had hunted curans before, as a poacher, so he knew how the species in general acted under pressure.

_It's a useful skill. But I still feel dirty and guilty for some reason. _He shook the feeling off. For now, first priority lay with finding the curan cub.

* * *

Kira stood, horrified and awed by the display in front of him. Hundred of thousand of little points of light embedded in inky blackness, deeper and brighter then he'd ever seen at home. And now that he paused and concentrated, he could feel the cold surface shifting ever so slightly underfoot like a raft on Stillwater pond, deep in the woods. 

The reason the stars looked so bright and clear was because the …thing…he was on was among them.

The hunters were taking him farther away then he'd ever thought they'd try. He'd heard about the humans' flying machines that traveled to distant stars, usually kidnapping cubs to take with them, but never in his worst nightmares had thought he'd be forced into one.

And now he was millions of miles from home (or so it felt) on a human space ship with no future save that of an enslaved animal.

Numbly, he stepped forward to press his furred forehead against the cool glass-like substance of the view port he'd found.

The scent of the lead human, someone had called him Athrun, made Kira's nose twitch slightly a few moments before the faint click of footsteps caused his ears to twitch.

_He's coming quickly, most likely searching for me. But what does it matter? It's not like there's anywhere I can run. The best I can hope for is to blend, but that didn't work before so I doubt it would now. Not to mention there aren't any shadows around for me to 'blend' with. _His gaze remained riveted on the stars, blurry with unshed tears. _I was wrong. There's no way to make the best of this situation. I might have escaped that hellish room, but I'm not free. _The tap of footsteps halted for a moment, resuming to move slowly towards the mournful Kira.

Still hypnotized by the alien stars, the curan didn't move.

He tensed slightly when the other came close enough to touch, but did not run.

Where would he run to?

A slight pressure on his arm, still covered by the 'sweatshirt' was what finally elicited a reaction. His teary eyes turned slowly from the view to the hand touching him, up the arm, to take in the face of the human responsible for his situation.

* * *

As Athrun gazed into tearful violet orbs, he could feel his own heart rending in guilt. If he'd doubted before, now he knew for certain that the curan was smarter then any animal he'd ever seen before. 

When he'd originally come down the hallway, he'd expected to find the other among destruction or in hiding and thought his task would be to chase the cub back down the corridors.

Discovering him staring out at the stars, trembling and all but crying was not an option he'd even considered. Nor was walking straight up behind him and putting a comforting hand on his arm.

"Come on. Let's get you back." He spoke as softly and soothingly as he could, but the curan still flinched away, pulling out of the light grip Athrun had him in. For another long moment, they stood watching each other.

_I don't know what to do. _Athrun realized._ I don't want to scare him but I doubt he'll let me touch him again. He looks…so sad._

The hunter's eyes softened in sympathy, a change that did not go unnoticed by his captive. The tense fear evident in Kira's stance relaxed slightly.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

_Huh?_ Kira shifted his eyes to follow Athrun's to the stars he had been observing seconds before.

"Whenever I looked at the stars as a kid, I always thought about how I would rather be among them rather then stuck on the ground. In my fantasies, I was a great explorer, a hero, seeking out people being oppressed and saving them. Not to mention rescuing all the pretty damsels in distress. My mother always said I was destined for space, that's why my hair matched the night sky." He sighed softly. "I miss her a lot."

Athrun looked at the curan out of the corner of his eye. Both ears were pricked and his head cocked slightly but he was chewing his lip and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at the strange words. He was calming down.

"I went to great lengths to attain my goal, but not once did I speculate ending up in a position like this." He laughed without amusement, making Kira twitch his ears and cock his head the other way. With his wide violet eyes blinking in uncertainty, he didn't look like a vicious animal. He looked…cute.

Athrun gave himself a mental shake. _Stop that right now. You know you don't have enough money to keep him and getting attached will just make it that much harder to sell him._

Slowly, oh so slowly, Athrun reached out his hand, holding it out palm up to the creature in what humans considered a universal sign for peace and animals saw as a chance to get to know people better. But none would approach unless they trusted the other to some extent.

_Does it even work on aliens?_ Athrun watched as the other shifted from foot to foot, dropping down a little but not quite completely to all fours, almost as if he was nervous. All thoughts of sharp talons able to dismember a human in seconds had long since fled the hunter's mind. _Please work. I don't want to hurt you. Please come back peacefully._

Kira wanted badly to believe in something to trust but could not make himself get close to the one who had destroyed his life. It might be a trap. _But what if it's not? Wouldn't this be a good way to make the best of this situation? _His natural optimism was beginning to shine through again.

Licking dry lips, he observed the hand intently, as if expecting answers to spring from the unmoving palm.

Athrun could feel the conflict in the other boy and waited patiently for his choice. Mimicking the hunter's speed, the curan began to move slowly forward, watching Athrun the whole time.

_A non hostile reaction. That's good. Good boy, come on…_

"Hey Athrun! Your turn for watch duty!"

_WHAT?_ Kira's movement stopped instantly, ears snapping back against his head and lips rising in a snarl at the unexpected voices.

_No! I was so close! _"Easy boy…" Athrun soothed gently, praying in vain that Dearka would shut up for once.

"Athrun? Oi!"

"Shut up Dearka, he'd not going to…ATHRUN! Look out!"

_Oh crap, they're here. _He saw them appear in a doorway and watched as if in slow motion as Yzak's hand fell to the holster at his waist.

"Yzak, no!"

It was no use. The two of them could only see their unarmed captain facing off against a dangerous beast, not the peaceful scene that had existed mere moments before.

"Athrun don't move!"

"NO! DON'T-!"

The low whir of a tazer was almost silent next to Kira's pained shriek as volts of electricity assaulted his body, amplified by the collar around his neck.

He fell unconscious glaring accusingly into Leader's sad emerald eyes.

* * *

Athrun knelt next to the cub, not yet daring to touch his body for fear of an electric shock. He could tell the other two were still standing in the doorway, confused and worried. 

"Athrun, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Yzak." And I was fine before. There was no reason to do that."

"No reason? It was going to kill you!"

"No he wasn't! If you must know, he escaped a little while ago and I decided to turn the situation to my advantage!"

"Your **advantage**? It was set to attack!"

"He let me get that close without laying a paw on me!"

"Whoa guys, chill." Dearka stepped between the combatants, only to be shaken off by Yzak.

"If that idiot doesn't want to thank me for saving his life then so be it. But he shouldn't expect it again." With a huff, he turned on his heel and stalked away in high bad humor.

"Hmph." Athrun picked up the curan bridal style and set off for the bridge, body tight as a bowstring with anger. _Jeez, he's so light. I wonder if that's because of the malnutrition Nicol mentioned? Or maybe it's just because he's a little bit like a bird…_

"Athrun, we didn't mean to screw up your training session."

He stopped for a moment and sighed. "I know Dearka. Would you mind doing a favor for me?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"Tell Nicol I don't need the crate after all. You can explain this whole situation to him if you want."

"Nah."

"I'll start my bridge shift now. See you later."

"Yeah. Seeya."

* * *

A strange tapping noise brought Kira into wakefulness slowly. For the second-possibly third- time, he'd been forced into unconsciousness and was now waking up to face whatever had happened while he was out. Comparatively, he actually felt worse this time but it was nothing he couldn't handle. 

The tapping stopped as he stood on all fours and swayed slightly, then sat back on his haunches to observe his altered surroundings.

He was in a cage, bigger then the original but not huge. It was long enough for Kira to lay out flat twice over, head to tail, if there were two of him, wide enough for him to stretch out once, and tall enough for him to stand on two legs with only a slightly stoop if he so chose. There was a thin blanket on the floor and two bowls of what smelled like water and human food far on the other side of the enclosure. Other then that, it was the same as before, metal and bars. Outside was no different: metal, counters made of metal, and human gadgets also fashioned out of metal.

"Hey, are you alright?" Leader was sitting on a metal chair nearby, watching him.

Kira scowled slightly and turned his head away. A sigh greeted the action.

"Look, I'm sorry about before. I know you can't understand me, but often animals can pick up on voice tone and I am well and truly sorry. The other two are friends of mine and they thought you were attacking me. They were only trying to help." Kira turned back. _He doesn't smell like he's lying. And why would he? He thinks I'm an animal. How could someone who tries to act so nice do such terrible things?_

Agitated, he walked around the cage on all fours, sniffing out the corners and mapping it in his memory. It did not reek of blood and pain like that little room had, but it was much too small for a creature raised in the wild. The food and water smelled too dead and boring for him to go near and the blanket didn't really smell like anything at all.

He was aware that the human was watching him but ignored the stare nervously, unsure about the intentions behind it.

"I'm sorry."

Kira looked up, pain and sadness meeting understanding when the two gazes intersected.

_How could a human understand?_

"I know what it feels like to be uprooted. My parents did it enough to me. I know how it feels to leave all your friends and familiar haunts behind and how sick being away from it can make you. I guess when I started this mission I never really realized I'd be putting another through twice as much as I ever went through."

A tentative hand reached through the bars and Kira didn't have the heart to push it away. He could not trust this human but couldn't bring himself to hate him either, not even after all he had done.

Athrun could hardly believe it when his charge did not flinch or move away but almost seemed to lean into his touch. He scratched gently behind the ears, smiling sadly. Somehow he knew it would be next to impossible to give the curan up when the time came, no matter how great the promised profit.

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

* * *

Hmmm….yeah. 

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter!

If there is another chapter. Reviews haven't been coming in very great quantities very fast.

Seeya later?

Oh, and ppl who guessed Kira's species? I sent you a link to find more information. It's what I'll most likely be using for the most part to figure out his abilities. Not to mention you get the satisfaction of knowing something everyone else doesn't. X3

---------------

Thanks for reviewing:

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	6. Teradome

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

This took…a long long time to write. Not to mention I got a little bit distracted when I found out Princess Mononoke was on.

I couldn't for the life of me remember what I was going to put in this chapter so I sort of…cobbled something together.

I know I said I was going to stop writing this so often but I got a few reviews this past week that made the count for the previous chapter exceed that of the one before so I decided to update.

(Yeah, that's how I do it. The stories with the most reviews get more chapters, but so do the stories that constantly get new reviewers and make the amount of reviews per chapter grow)

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

* * *

Ummm...I kinda had this finished last weekend but ffnet was being stupid. So...comes this weekend. Along with my shounenai story lesson in realization

* * *

_Italics_ equal thoughts

* * *

**Last Time: **

_Athrun could hardly believe it when his charge did not flinch or move away but almost seemed to lean into his touch. He scratched gently behind the ears, smiling sadly. Somehow he knew it would be next to impossible to give the curan up when the time came, no matter how great the promised profit._

**Oddity**

Chapter 5: Teradome

**---------------------**

"So…ear drops."

"And a bath."

"We'll leave that to you, considering you seem to have a thing for him. Maybe the beast will do us all a favor and put you out of your misery when you try to touch him." Yzak lounged back insolently, a nasty little smirk matching Athrun's annoyed, angry expression in intensity. After two days, he was still mad at Athrun for refusing to thank him for knocking out the curan. True to form, he'd expressed his displeasure by aiming snide and bitter remarks at Athrun both to his face and behind his back.

Athrun's patience was wearing thin. At first he'd been a bit contrite. Yzak had thought he was saving his life after all, but his sulking had gotten old quickly. After an apology, which Yzak had been too proud to accept, the captain just rolled his eyes at the insults and went on his way.

He would have continued ignoring the other, but they would be approaching teradome soon and he needed to have a talk with the entire crew on what they would be responsible for upon arrival and the on curan's state of health.

Which was how they all wound up sitting in folding chairs arranged in a circle on the bridge, listening to Athrun and making comments about which chores should be allotted to who.

"Yzak, just be quiet and listen."

The scarred poacher leant back, scowling but retreating from his private war. He knew the importance of this place as well.

"Now, we all know what teradome is and why we're going there…"

"Yes teacher." Dearka smirked.

Athrun ignored him. "…and on top of caring for the curan's condition, we will need to secure sleeping quarters and a mechanic to look at the ship."

"What about an appraiser?"

"An appraiser of what?"

Temporarily forgetting the argument, Yzak entered the conversation. "Of curans. Once the creature has been cleaned and all, brought up to the condition it'll sell best in, we should hire an appraiser to tell us how much we should expect, how much it's worth."

Athrun bit his lips lightly, casting a dubious glance at the strange creature crouching in its cage several feet away.

"I don't know Yzak, that might cost a lot."

"Yeah." Nicol's quiet voice cut in before Yzak could become angry. "Besides, I want to take a closer look with some better instruments before we reveal him to anyone else. I've never seen a curan like this before."

"Nicol, you've never seen a curan of any kind before." The teasing note in Dearka's voice made Nicol flush with embarrassment.

"S-so? I've read hundreds of books on them and he's definitely not like the ones they describe."

"How so?"

"Yzak, you know how curans typically resemble a single animal? A lion, a bird, a cat, a dog, or something else?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, this one resembles three separate animals. I have not been able to determine much about him simply because I don't know what his body chemistry should look like."

"Is that really unheard of?" The two conversing turned towards the blonde poacher. "I mean, he could just be some mixed breed, right? The cub of two different types of parents?"

"No. Curan cubs have been bred and born from separate types in captivity; the different animal traits seem to emerge from a specific gene. The dominant gene codes the type of creature the cub will become. The rest of the DNA alters itself to match that single gene. It is physically impossible for two, let alone the three or four found here to bind together."

"Are you sure this information is reliable?"

"Yes." The medic turned to Athrun, meeting his eyes head on with a confident gaze. "The source is the lab where the first curan was taken. They have been around the longest of all the testing facilities and have more information then anyone else in the field. Recently, they've been focusing on curan genetics and how they compare to those of humans. That's how they found out about the race gene."

"Alright, I believe you." Athrun stood to pace. "But what does that mean? Is he some unknown type? Or a different species altogether? Maybe he's a mutation of some kind."

"I don't know. But I think we should contact this lab before we sell."

"**WHAT**!"

"You're kidding!"

Both Dearka and Yzak shot up, upset and noisily protesting. Their leader stayed silent and thoughtful but his expression deepened into a frown. His quiet voice cut through to Nicol more then the others' vociferous comments. "Nicol, you do know that if we do that they might find some way to get the curan, a LEGAL way, in which none of us would get a dime?"

"Well yes, but the science-."

"Screw the science!" Yzak was mad.

"No kidding! This is our first big break and you want to sacrifice it?" Dearka wasn't much happier. "Dammit medic, are you insane?"

"But-."

"Sorry Nicol."

"Athrun, you can't seriously consider-! Wait…" the blonde furrowed his eyebrows as the comment processed, then sagged with relief. "Good, for a minute there I thought you were going to cave!"

Athrun shook his head slightly and turned to Nicol's betrayed expression.

"Nicol, we've all put a lot into this trip and it just makes sense for all of us to get a say in the matter. And I'm going to need to side with Yzak and Dearka on this one."

"B-but…what about Bug? That's what you named him, right? DO you really want him to be abused by some anonymous millionaire looking for an exotic pet?" Nicol clenched a hand in desperation as he played his final card. Would it work?

"The hell?" Yzak and Dearka exchanged confused looks in the background.

In response, Athrun stiffened but forced himself to relax and respond. "I don't want him to get hurt but I don't think he can be hurt any more then he already has been. Also, a collector or someone would be far kinder then a lab."

"What? No! They wouldn't hurt him!"

"Yes they would! They'd turn him into an experiment, feed him through tubes, and keep him in a postage stamp cage for the rest of his life! Which, by the way, wouldn't be long!"

Silence fell; the others were stunned at the outburst and Athrun himself regretted it as soon as it left his mouth but could not take it back.

"Ooooookaaaaay…" Dearka grumbled with confusion in the behind them, breaking the tense silence.

A low beeping noise, suddenly evident now that their voices weren't covering it up, further spoiled the mood.

"A touching as this is," Yzak examined the main control panel, "we're approaching teradome and the codes need to be entered.

"Right." Athrun broke eye contact with Nicol and strode over. He had no idea what would happen in the long run but what teradome would be a major step forwards and he had a sneaking suspicion it would not go smoothly.

* * *

A slight shudder wracked Kira's body as he crouched listening to the conversation. He could, by now, understand all but the hardest words. 

That was the only positive change to his body or mind. Over the post few days, his lustrous hair and fur had turned dull and patchy, his feathers unkempt and lacking their usual shine. Intelligent, curious eyes were dull and listless while the slight case of malnutrition he'd had when captured had grown worse with his refusal to go anywhere near human made sustenance.

The situation, bad at the beginning, grew worse when he was left in the cage alone for so long, listening to the poachers speak of him as an object. The leader did not come near him after that first night and the other three kept their distance in fear of his claws.

_I wish we'd just get where we're going already. I hate this entire situation but it's the boredom that's really hurting. Pacing got old after the first hour and that's the only activity I have enough space to do._

The gentle beeping of the computer caught his attention long before the humans noticed it, but he just glanced disinterestedly at it before turning back to watching their conversation. Why should he care? There were always devices making odd noises on the bridge.

When someone finally did check, a bit of interest came to the curan's gaze. This teradome place had to be better then the ship, right? Even if they hurt him it wouldn't be as boring simply because he'd be moving around and seeing new people.

"Alright, the computer let us in." Leader's comment made Kira's ears perk slightly for the first time in two days.

"Good thing they're still good. That guy we bought them off of seemed kind of shifty."

"Kind of? Try extremely." The silver haired human responded to the blonde one without missing a beat.

"I'm taking her down. Yzak, can you please make sure everything is secure? Nicol, you help him. Dearka, get some of your gadgets ready to transport the curan."

"I don't think I have any like that. Why don't you just lead him in? The two of you seem close." The tone in his voice puzzled Kira. There was teasing, annoyance, and…envy?

_Well that's strange_.

"If you don't have any then get some old fashioned equipment out of the storage room. Just hurry up. We're almost ready to enter the atmosphere."

_Another cage? I hope it's only temporary. I wonder what 'entering the atmosphere' means?_

"Initiating descent…"

Two of the humans, the cold handed one from the bad room and the silver haired one with the painful weapon, returned and anchored themselves down by holding on to various instruments. Various FIXED instruments.

_Maybe I should hold on to something._

"NOW!"

"Yip!"

The vessel lurched downward, throwing the cub to the floor with a pained yelp. As the ride continued, he did not try to get up. The giant metal ship was lurching and tipping like a newborn's leaf boat on the lake on a windy day. The only way Kira kept from getting sick was by the lack of food in his stomach. He just hung on with his claws and rode it out.

After mere moments that felt like hours, the craft ceased its sailboat-in-the-high-seas-during-a-storm routine and evened out into a steady decline with the nose of the craft facing forward.

"Atmosphere entry complete." The leader's voice sounded almost mechanical. "Approaching landing pad."

"That's odd, why isn't there nay traffic?" the pain-bringer looked suspicious and smelled a little scared.

Neither of the others answered him so he began to rant.

"And why haven't we been hailed by a tower? That's standard procedure! I'm telling you there's something weird going on, something wrong. We shouldn't have come without checking it out more thoroughly. We should have-."

"Yzak-." Athrun spoke through clenched teeth. "Please be quiet. I need to concentrate."

_Some day those two are either gonna kill each other or become best friends. But until then, their rivalry is going to hinder them both. I shouldn't care, but they're living beings; I can't help but care._

"Antigrav jets at 75 percent." The ship stopped moving forward and began to lower itself straight down slowly. "Landing in 3…2…1…"

The ship stopped suddenly, nearly throwing Kira's hold off. He waited several minutes before releasing the floor and stepping around cautiously. Satisfied, he stood on all fours without an anchor. They had stopped.

"We're down. Could someone go find Dearka? We need to hurry and tell them we mean no harm."

"Already here." The absent poacher, who Kira had yet to come up with a nickname for, pushed a wheeled crate into the room, humming jauntily. "Let's get goin'!"

At the sight of the small cage, Kira's heart sank. It was the same tiny box he'd been transported to **_that room_** in.

"Alright. Yzak, Dearka, can you get him in? I need to set up our official papers. The ones the government gave us to legalize our job."

The human pointedly did not meet Kira's stare of surprise and betrayal. These were the humans who had purposely hurt him for escaping! And this one, who claimed to care, was telling them to go near him?

"Yeah, can't be that hard."

"After all, you did it."

"Har har. That was so funny I forgot to laugh. Nicol, can you come with me and get all the documents on his health and condition?"

"Yeah, okay." He still sounded moody for having his idea shot down. Judging form the sound of the labs, Kira was quite happy Leader had turned it down.

Both humans left.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

"Simple, one of us opens the door and holds the carrier against it while the other shocks him from the opposite side to drive him into it."

"Sounds good."

Kira watched them approach nervously. HE really didn't want to be poked and prodded but what choice did he have?

"Got it?"

"Yeah, door and crate secure."

"The door's only open enough for the crate opening, right? Not enough for it to jump over?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The small opening was dark and ominous, broken only by pinpricks of light where ventilation holes had been punched in.

"Yipe!" A sharp crack of lighting passed within an inch of his head, making his hair and fur stand on end and forcing him forward in fear.

_They can control lighting?_

"He's on the move! Good job Yzak!"

"Knew this couldn't be that hard. Keep your end secure."

Without thinking, the curan darted to the only place Yzak wasn't sending bolts of lightning; the crate. He was still too weak and dull from neglect to reason them out or fight and this time his instincts were on his side when they drove him into the dark aperture to escape.

But he didn't feel much better then last time when the back slammed shut behind him to leaving him crouching kneeling uncomfortably in the darkness.

* * *

Once the group reunited, Athrun took command of Kira and they all trouped out of the ship together, ready and waiting for a police squad to be waiting at their landing ramp because of their strangely uneventful landing. 

"Do you have the codes?"

"Yes Yzak."

"The letter?"

"Yes Yzak."

"The-."

"Yzak?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

"You-!"

Then the door opened. One set of confused curan eyes gazed out a tiny hole while four sets of human eyes widened in shock and horror.

"Oh my God."

"What happened?"

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

* * *

Yeah, I know; killjoy, right? 

Well, it was necessary cuz I think someone in Kira's position with his temperament would react almost exactly like that. Doesn't mean I like this chapter any more though; I hate it. Stupid writer's block.

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter!

If there is another chapter. Reviews haven't been coming in very great quantities very fast.

Seeya later?

There's still time to guess the species, btw!

* * *

Thanks for reviewing: 

**Maryam Khanoom**

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**Xelena**

**phoenixyoukai**


	7. Teradome pt2

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

Not many reviews I don't think but I haven't written well in months and this story jumped out at me.

Plus, I'm trying to update all my GS stories before I go away because….I finally got the series!

FINALLY! All fifty eps plus the movie for only thirty-eight and a half dollars!

Course, I haven't really had time to watch any yet but…meh.

Oh yeah; happy fourth of July everyone! Or at least those of you in the US; everyone who isn't: today is our independance day!

Woot.

-----

This chapter sux but I'm blaming it on my writer's block and fatigue.

* * *

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

* * *

_Italics_ equal thoughts 

>carrots> equal curan speech

* * *

**Last Time: **

_Then the door opened. One set of confused curan eyes gazed out a tiny hole while four sets of human eyes widened in shock and horror._

_"Oh my God."_

_"What happened?"_

**Oddity**

Chapter 6: Teradome pt. 2

**---------------------**

Teradome lay in shambles, abandoned to the wilderness. Gaping eye-like windows gazed out at streets riddled with cracks and broken by weeds.

There wasn't a soul in what should have been a metropolis

"Well," Dearka's voice was soft. "I guess we know why we weren't hailed."

"There was…no one to hail us." Nicol looked a bit frightened as well as confused. He was recovering from the shock faster than the others, though. "Athrun, what do we do now?"

"We…uh…well…"

Their leader had no idea.

* * *

Kira blinked at the ghost town in confusion, flipping his ears forward. 

This was where they were bringing him? It looked…well, it looked a little bit like Home had after the humans finished with it. Minus the fire, ash, blood, and bodies.

_And the fact that there aren't any bodies means this situation is completely different even if it is unexpected. _He transferred his gaze to the humans standing around the crate and felt a brief surge of vindication at the looks on their faces.

A low mumbling sound deep within the curan's chest resolved into whispered words too low pitched for any human to hear.

>How's it feel to see someplace you knew in shambles? To know everyone is gone for some unknown reason? And that's without the death…what you feel now isn't even a fraction of…>

He stopped, eyes widening. _What am I saying? I don't want them to go through that! Nobody deserves it, not even them! How low have I fallen that I'm even considering thinking such a thing? I'm acting like a human!_

Gentle violet eyes, more lively (in their shame) then they had been for several days, sought out the human who seemed most likely to understand or forgive Kira's muttering.

"I guess…we should go explore?"

* * *

Athrun mentally cursed himself for sounding weak. The 'authoritative command' had come out as a rather nervous, and squeaky, question. A slight blush, hopefully hidden by shadow, stole across his face. 

"Is that really such a good idea?" Nicol looked just as nervous as Athrun felt. "I-I mean, what if there's loose masonry or a gas leak somewhere? Not to mention we don't even really know what happened. What if they were attacked by something vicious?"

"Ah, grow a backbone Doc." Dearka slung a friendly arm around his shoulders. "They probably just left on a supply run or to go see relatives or somethin'."

A dubious glower. "All at the same time?"

"Sure!" he grinned mischievously. "And if not, than they were probably eaten by…OH MY GOD WHAT'S THAT!"

"WHAT?"

"WHERE!"

"DEARKA!"

"You guys actually fell for that? Hah!" the blonde poacher cracked up, doubling over with laugher as Kira watched with confusion and the others glared.

"Enough of this crap." Stepping forward, Yzak began to bark orders. "Dearka, you and I will scout and try to find out what actually happened here. You two get the curan settled in. We're stuck here a few days according to the schedule so we might as well make it worthwhile."

"Good idea." Athrun nodded firmly, studiously ignoring the contemptuous glare leveled his way. "Make sure you've got your comm. units on; we'll all check in in two hours-."

"Three."

"What?"

The scarred boy smirked. "At least three hours will be needed to scout the city."

Clamping down on his annoyance at the insubordination, Athrun grit his teeth and nodded. "Alright then, three hours from now. Nicol and I will take the curan and go to the center of the nearest compound while you two secure the ship and explore. Nicol, let's go."

Without waiting for a response, the captain strode off down a street in the direction of what looked like a glass dome several blocks down.

Wondering what in the stars had just happened, Nicol scrambled after, pushing their captive's crate down the unkempt street.

* * *

"….what…?" 

"…I…he…"

>Oof!> Kira slipped and banged his head yet again against the side of the box. Every bump, crack, and turn felt magnified ten times by his condition and about fifty billion more times by the way he was being transported.

It was so bad that he was only picking up every third or fourth word of the conversation going on overhead. Then…the lurching stopped.

"Unnngh…" _Finally._ (1)

Neither human heard him.

"So what now? There's no one to let us in."

"I still have the access codes. Hopefully one of them will work."

Several shuffled clicking sounds, beeping noises, and a whooshing **thunk** later, Kira once again found himself moving. He didn't look out the holes; distractions would just make the trip worse.

The curan never would have thought he'd be grateful for the monotonous metal the humans favored but when the wheels hit the smooth surface of a steel floor, he whimpered in relief.

"What was that?"

"I think it was the cub."

"Is he okay?"

"Probably. Hang on. **You okay in there?**" A loud thud and shout right overhead caused Kira to yelp and shuffle backwards instinctively.

"He's fine." Leader's voice was annoyingly smug, giving the impression he'd just been showing off for the one called Nicol.

Kira was too dazed and bruised to care.

* * *

"He's fine." Athrun smiled at Nicol but the expression faltered when the other boy gave him an immeasurable look. 

"So I see."

"What's wrong? Did I do something?"

The hallways of the curan training compound –deserted, just like the rest of the city- passed by in silence for several moments.

"Nicol?" _Maybe if I prompt him I can figure out what's wrong. _"Does this have anything to do with what you said before? About the labs? Because-."

"No, no…well, yes…sorta. It has to do with what I said before but not about the labs."

"Oh?"

"I just…how can we do this? You saw him onboard; he looked human! I thought you cared but then his condition kept getting worse, I'm fairly certain you didn't give him the ear drops, and now we're going to deal with breaking him on our own? It just-."

Athrun stopped abruptly. "Nicol, our deal upon taking this mission was that we don't need to break him, remember?" he smiled in what he hoped was a warm manner as cold fingers of dread touched his spine.

_I hadn't thought of that but he's right. This planet is the only place in the solar system to get curans trained and prepared. If there isn't anyone here…_ He shot the crate an uncomfortable look and began walking again.

"I guess." Nicol didn't sound convinced. Not surprising; it hadn't convinced Athrun either and he'd been saying it. But…_Huh...I could have sworn I saw that door ten minutes ago…_

"Nicol…do you…know where we're going?"

"Um, no. You're the one directing me."

"…"

"Aren't you?"

"Well…"

* * *

Dearka watched Yzak from a careful distance. The pale poacher had, after the others left, taken to kicking and throwing the smaller pieces of masonry around in anger at Athrun's 'attitude'. 

Personally, Dearka thought just _saying_ that made Yzak sound like an ornery housewife and mother hen but to state **that** out loud would be tantamount to suicidal.

"Who does he think he is? It was MY idea…"

"Um, Yzak?"

"WHAT!"

Discreetly pulling away a few meters, Dearka responded.

"We should probably lock up the ship and get going. It's already been a half hour."

Yzak didn't say anything; he didn't need to. He just **_looked_** at his crewmate.

"I mean-." Another meter. How had Yzak learned to look so terrifying? "We don't want there to be another fight later and it was a good idea to begin with; we should go see if we can find anything."

"MY idea."

"Yes, it was your idea. What say we act on it?"

Yzak paused, considered, then scowled and stopped destroying the junk around him.

"Fine. But if that self righteous bastard says one thing…"

"Yeah, yeah; 'it'll be the last thing he does'. I know."

"I was going to say 'he'll regret it'."

"Close enough."

"Hmph."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour and a half later, the two scouts had made it to the edge of the city. They hadn't run across a single living being or explanation about the city's state of disrepair but there weren't any signs of struggle or catastrophe either.

"SO." Dearka dropped onto an old fashioned bench complete with peeling paint and rotted woodwork. "Here we are. Searching. What are we looking for again?"

Yzak sat down beside him, looking confused.

"I don't understand this. There should be signs of something! There's no blood, no marks to signify gunfire, no weapons, no bodies, no nothing! It's like this place was evacuated."

"Could it have been? Maybe they were warned of a disaster and it hasn't occurred yet."

"No. Evacuation would mean panic of some sort. There would be personal possessions all over the place and some ships ferrying people out. Not to mention scavengers looking for anything valuable left behind. If this place was evacuated, the residents had plenty of time to pack and load and enough space for all of them to bring everything they wanted."

"Which is completely unheard of in an evacuation because of the disaster of whatever looming overhead."

"Right." A sigh escaped Yzak's lips as he leaned back.

"Not to mention the state of the city."

"State of the city?"

"Yeah; don't tell me you haven't noticed."

A rather blank looking glare took the place of the omnipresent scowl/sneer in answer.

"Guess not. Ever since we got her I've been looking at the state of the buildings and streets. All of it looks aged. Not quite destroyed, just…old. Like it's been abandoned a long time.

"But we've only been out of the loop a month or so! Probably less! And you can't tell me we all missed the news on something as big as the abandonment of Teradome before that."

"It couldn't have happened in a month or even a year." Dearka quavered slightly under the dark look creeping into his companion's eyes. "In fact, I'd say something like this couldn't happen in under fifty years. I mean, have you looked at the buildings? They're literally _falling apart_."

"Teradome's only been around for thirty years and ten of those were spent without this city.

"Right."

"Which means there is something extremely wrong with this picture."

"No shit." Dearka groaned, putting his head in his hands. "And this was going so well! Now we're probably going to die on a suspiciously abandoned rock in the middle of nowhere!"

"What? Why? We still have the ship; we can fly off whenever we want to."

Dearka snorted, unamused. "Yeah, right."

"What do you mean?"

"We're out of fuel Yzak! That was one of our reasons for coming! If we leave now, we'll be dead in space in less than a day."

"And it's at least five days to the nearest colony."

"If we push the engines and to do that we'd need fuel."

"I see."

"You see? That's it? Yzak, that's not like you. What have you figured out?"

"Who gave us this mission?"

"Huh?"

"Just answer."

"The government. So?"

"Was what they had us do legal?"

"Not really but they paid a lot."

"Did they pay in cash?"

"No…" Dearka had a sneaking suspicion he knew where this was headed.

"Would it look accidental or purposeful if we died like this in a setting like this?"

"Accidental…"

"What was Teradome originally?"

"A research outpost."

"Funded by the government."

A low groan left the poacher's mouth as his head dropped even lower.

"Ah CRAP. They did this! On purpose!"

"And we fell for it. Hook line and sinker."

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

* * *

Good Lord, I made them sound like the military. 

'Securing the ship'? Bleh, oh well.

(1) Sounds are in quotations cuz they're pretty much the same no matter what language. Kira can't speak English so the words are all in curan or in his thoughts.

* * *

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter! 

If there is another chapter. Reviews haven't been coming in very great quantities very fast.

Seeya later?

* * *

Thanks for reviewing: 

**Maryam Khanoom**

**X-19A Infinite Justice**

**Kira'sNewfoundAngel**

**Darkmoon Fleur**

**Animelover**

**Freedom-Fighter05**

**SpiritsMelding**

**Connie**


	8. Teradome pt3

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any of the characters associated with it. This story is a major AU, so the plot and the specific setting do belong to me. Don't steal, please. There will be consequences.

**NEWS!**

_I'm starting a Gundam Seed fanfiction archive! Submissions are welcome; I'm trying to get as many people as I can! Both yaoi and het will be accepted so if you write for either and would like to a) spread and circulate your work and/or b) store it in whatever order you'd like (I've noticed series getting split up and confused on ffnet a lot) then come see me! At the moment, the site's all set up but there aren't any fics up (not even mine; I haven't had time to transfer them to webpages yet) but I've also got a forum, list of challenges, and updates for interaction; even if you don't want to join, come say hi! _

_I'm also starting a personal website to let people get to know me better and to put all my scenes/drabbles/rants (tiny crossovers and scenes from stories that didn't quite get off the ground from various fandoms, GS included), WIPs, and finished stuff. Unfortunately, that one's taking a little bit more time than the archive. XD_

Come visit me! The GS site is _www. freewebs. com/hziz_ and my personal site (with lots of tidbits from bunches of series that never made it to ffnet) is _www. freewebs. com/darkling59_ . (remove the spaces and cut/paste the links)

I'm probably going to be updating more regularly and with better edited chapters on my sites; ffnet has been screwing up what I send them.

Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it's been so long!

At the moment, I'm having one massive update of all eight of my active stories (two YGO, one Slayers, one Surface, four GS) and possibly a revamp of my POTC one-shot in honor of the second movie (which was awesome). All in honor of my new website and the end of the summer!

Er…yeah.

Oh, and I'm changing my offsite screenname. While I will remain darkling59 on ffnet, my writing name on gaia will be hziz and on my website will probably alternate between the two.

Same goes for if you want to chat or just say hi, pm me at _hziz. _My other account (darkling59) is still active but it isn't where my fan fiction is being posted. And my avatar is the wrong gender.

-----

Oh Yeah! And, thanks to the new ffnet feature, I can give reviewers a special sneak preview of the next chapter! Only if you review, of course, and if you're signed in.

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_Italics_ equal thoughts

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**Last Time: **

_"What was Teradome originally?"_

_"A research outpost."_

_"Funded by the government."_

_A low groan left the poacher's mouth as his head dropped even lower._

"_Ah CRAP. They did this! On purpose!"_

_"And we fell for it. Hook line and sinker."_

**Oddity**

Chapter 7: Teradome pt. 3

**---------------------**

"We've been going in circles?"

"Looks like."

"Any idea how long?"

"None whatsoever." Athrun slumped against the cold wall, sliding into a sitting position beside Kira's crate. He was using exaggerated fatigue to disguise his embarrassment. Nicol wouldn't hold it against him; he knew that, but still…

_I didn't even notice we were walking in circles! How does that happen! I studied the layout, know the codes, know exactly where we should be going, but I still got us lost! It's not a hard building to navigate either; just circular hallways bisected by straight corridors with a nexus at the main control room. We could have -and probably should have- taken the first bisecting corridor we saw._

"Athrun? You alright?" Nicol gazed worriedly at his friend. "We weren't walking **that** long."

"Wha-? Oh no, I'm fine." Blushing, the captain stood up. "We should get going."

"Okay." The medic reluctantly left the issue of his friend's health behind. Collapsing like that was not normal or healthy but he could sense there was another factor to it, a personal one, so pushing for answers would be invasive. "Do you know which way to go?"

"Yeah…" emerald eyes diverted to a nearby hallway perpendicular to the one they were traversing. "We take one of those to the central control room; it's at the…well, the center."

"Alright. Why didn't we do that right off? We've been passing these entrances since we arrived."

"I …er…forgot."

"You **forgot**?" a muffled snicker accompanied the disbelieving question.

"Oh come on."

"Heh, okay."

The young captain flushed and focused his attention on the containment crate. A gentle push sent it rolling and, still conscious of the exchange from earlier, Athrun was cautious of his handling.

-----------------------------------------------------

This time when the box began to roll, Kira was prepared. While a bit annoyed with Athrun for his absentmindedness (it kept him cramped in the crate longer than necessary) and surprised by Nicol's defensiveness, he'd been more interested in his own state of being than their words.

When the cage had stopped rolling, he'd attempted to shift into a more comfortable position but the coarse wood kept him in place.

_Hopefully it won't be much longer until they let me out. I know they're not going to let me go but even a bigger cage would be better than this. I never thought I'd be saying this, but…I wish I was back in the cage on the ship!_

It was a measure of how far gone the curan was that he didn't consider his former home for that statement. His mind was changing along with his body; the lackluster fur and feathers paled in relevance when compared to Kira's lack of spirit and stagnating mind.

To the humans, the evidence was ignorable. They figured their charge was just adapting and that even if they affected his health, mental and physical excellence could be brought back easily. Neither of them had enough experience to realize that a fractured mental state would be next to impossible to put back together; especially if the ones doing the fixing were jailers of a different species.

---------------

"THIS is the control room!"

"I guess so." Nicol gazed with awe at the giant structure, Athrun gaping right alongside him.

The room itself was a single gargantuan dome with an opaque plastic ceiling stretching to its highest point forty feet overhead. The walls were flat metal panels, just like in the hallways, interspersed with doors. A quick stroll around the immediate perimeter proved to the humans that the wall was separated into eight segments, each with a door leading to a bisecting corridor. The area around each edge of the octagon was portioned off by low walls extending about three feet out.

As impressive as the set up was, it was dwarfed by the room's central feature: a 200 yard diameter dome. It had no markings on its metal hull and reached up to two feet below the actual roof.

"Christ…"

"Athrun, what is that?"

"I don't know. I though the control room would just have a bunch of controls and monitors."

Their captive shifted in his box, drawing both their attention.

"Okay then…we're here. Now what do we do?"

"Er…" _He's right. What do we do? I was expecting instructions of some kind. Not direct step by step directions but some sort of guide accessible enough to be found by hacking their database. However, I don't see any monitors, books, or anything here! _His brow furrowed. _Hmmm…_

"Nicol, does it strike you as strange that there isn't any clutter?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. Most deserted companies leave something behind; even if it's only trash."

"Yeah…I wonder what the others have found. Is the rest of the city like this?"

"I dunno; guess we'll find out in a couple hours."

"Yeah. For now, why don't we look around for a monitor or console of some kind? If we can access the mainframe, we should be able to figure out what exactly this thing-" he gestured at he inner dome "-is and what we're supposed to do with the curan cub."

"Alright."

Resolved, the poachers set off in opposite directions, leaving their captive at their point of entry while they searched. It took a while but finally Nicol uncovered a screen and console set in the wall and hidden behind one of the door partitions.

"Athrun! I found one!"

Having alerted his friend, the crimson eyed youth set about getting into the system. It took almost no time at all and when Athrun arrived pushing the curan's crate, he was already reading through an instruction manual.

"What'd you find?" the second poacher peered over the shoulder of the first curiously.

"It's an instruction manual they gave out to the people who bought and brought in the curans to let them know what happened here."

"They released that to the general public?"

"The good parts. As far as I can tell by how the sections are noted and signified, about half of the information was kept from the buyers."

"And the sellers?"

"Didn't usually care one way or the other."

"I see. So what's it say we should do?"

"Look."

Athrun leant in closer and began to read:

_All curans are put through Teradome's refining process; a series of simple steps designed to tame the wild animal within and create a perfect companion and pet for our buyers._

_**The first step** is acquiring the animals. This is done by designated extraterrestrial hunters. In some cases, the hunters pay to have their beasts trained then sell on their own but in others they sell through Teradome, paying a moderate 'middleman's fee'._

Athrun shook his head and scoffed. "Moderate? Yeah, right…"

_**The second step** is transportation. Curans are finicky, delicate creatures who are often negatively affected by new environments. This can result in lagging health, refusal to eat or sleep, and/or a noticeable change in behavior. In rare cases, curans have been known to commit suicide upon insertion in to a foreign setting._

_But have no fear! Teradome curans are trained away from this with a foolproof, fully tested method of handling. First, they are brought to Teradome fully sedated. It is integral that the animals do not wake up on the journey here. The second…well, that leads into our next step!_

_**The third step** is the first state of actual training, something we here call 'gradual reconditioning'. After a short check up to make sure the animals are not carrying any major or infectious diseases, they are placed in our state of the art indoor terrarium so they will feel as if they are back in the wild. Accustoming them to canned/dried food, distilled water, and (most importantly) human contact is a week long process that will be described in more detail in steps four and five._

_**The fourth step**-_

"That's it then!"

"What's it?" Athrun turned away fro the screen reluctantly. He felt terrible. _ I did everything wrong. What if I screwed him up too badly to be recovered? What if he's one of those rare suicidal cases? Not only would the money be gone for good; I'd essentially be a murderer! NOT a murderer; he's an animal, nothing more. _A memory flashed through his brain, one of soulful violet eyes and a strangely human appearance.

His chest suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.

"Are you listening?"

"Huh?"

"I said, we need to put him in the terrarium and begin their training schedule right away!"

"But Teradome broke the curans they trained; we don't want to do that with him!"

"We don't need to follow all the steps; besides, how else are you going to get him to eat? Shove the food down his throat?"

"You have a point." After a thoughtful moment, Athrun conceded. "Alright, let's put him in. But when Yzak gets annoyed that he wasn't included in the decision, I'm aiming him your way."

"Heh, fine. Look, this is the combination for getting into the dome." A five digit number flashed on the screen. "The portal's on the opposite side of the room from the door we came in by."

"Okay. Let's go."

---------------------------------------------

When the cage began to move again, Kira was startled enough to yelp in confusion and surprise. He'd lost hope that they would take him out, so much so that he'd completely tuned out their last conversation. Now he was wishing he hadn't.

_What are they doing? Both of them smell different. Leader smells guilty and the other is almost…excited? Is that it?_

The wheeling stopped and a short, sharp thud emanated from overhead.

"Well cub, are you ready? Hopefully this will make up for everything we've done so far."

_Make up for…? What does he expect to be enough to make up for what he's done? He's destroyed everything and caused so much pain…_

Unbeknownst to Kira, Athrun had been talking about the ride in the spaceship, not his performance overall. But seeing as neither of them understood the other, the fact was unimportant.

"Ready Nicol?"

"Yeah."

Twitching his ears in confusion, the curan attempted to peer out one of the forward ventilation holes but there was metal in front blocking his sight of whatever they was causing such a stir.

"One!" the sound of screeching metal on metal reached his rapidly flipping ears.

"Two!" this time it was the sound of fabric over leather.

"**Three**!" the door shot straight up out of its slots, revealing to Kira exactly what the humans had been hiding.

_It's…is that…?_

Before him stretched a plain of lush grass surrounded by trees. In the distance, water rustled and insects chirped. There were no animal sounds but their lack went unnoticed.

As if in a daze, the youth crawled out of his container and stepped forward. He didn't notice the humans watching warily from the sidelines or the walls that separated the 'wilderness' from humanity by mere inches; his eyes were only for the paradise in front of him.

His first touch of the grass was hesitant and uncertain; he didn't want the vision to turn out to be a mirage; but the second he was certain it was real he took off like a shot, long tail streaming out behind and ears pressed flat against his head.

_Home…this feels so much like home…_

--------------------------------

Athrun watched him go, happiness and guilt warring in his heart.

_He looks so happy. How could we take him away from that? How could we have been cruel enough to destroy his life in the first place? I mean, we didn't just capture him, we also-_

"HEY GUYS!"

"DEARKA?" Nicol responded at an ear piercing volume, drawing a flinch from his companion.

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

"ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOME!"

The blonde came into sight seconds later, trademark smirk conspicuously absent. In fact, he was sporting a somewhat Yzak-esque glower.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything. Nothing." His eyes found the empty crate as the other two exchanged perplexed glances. "Where's the curan?"

"Secured." Athrun's response was stiff; he still hadn't forgotten Yzak's actions and Dearka was-

"Fine. Whatever. Come on; me'n Yzak need to show you something."

The worry and hidden meaning behind the words dissipated any disagreements the other two might have had.

"What's wrong Dearka?"

"We figured something out about this city and what's happening."

"Not good?"

"No. Not good at all."

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TBC?

REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT CONTINUED!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, so reviews were neither wonderful nor terrible last chapter. I was satisfied. :)

And I really don't have much to say I didn't say up top…

Hope you liked the chapter!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review and you get a free summary preview of the next chapter!

If there is another chapter. Reviews haven't been coming in very great quantities very fast.

Seeya later?

---------------

Thanks for reviewing:

**Darkmoon Fleur**

**Maryam Khanoom**

**TheBetanWerecat**

**Kira'sNewfoundAngel**

**FanfictionWriter83729**

**Freedom-Fighter05**

**Blueflamesofsadness**

**animelover**


	9. Break

**Title: **Oddity (Interlude)**  
Author: **Darkling59  
**Rating: **PG or K+ (pretty tame)**  
Fandom: **Gundam Seed**  
Summary: **Kira takes a much needed break and confusion and tension begin to mount.**  
Date: **10/24/08**  
Warnings: **AU, confusion…er…lack of updates…yeah…**  
Disclaimer:** Gundam Seed and related characters, words, etc. don't belong to me. The story does. Don't steal.**  
Author's Notes: **I'm not dead! I promise!

I'm so sorry it has taken so long to get something up; my anime inspiration has pretty much dried up. If no one is still watching this story, I totally understand.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be updating seriously any time soon either. I WILL finish this story. It won't be as long as I originally thought, nor will the ending be quite so massive, but I won't permanently discontinue it so long as I am still able to write. I posted this as sort of a status update for any readers. I'm also putting up a Halloween story that's about three years old (yeah, I know it's pathetic but I wrote it in November and I've forgotten about it at Halloween every year after), and an interlude in Nicol's New Fate, both with about the same message. I might get one up for Experiment but I don't have it now so, if I do, it won't be this weekend.

I hope you enjoy this little interlude; it doesn't have much of an effect on the story but it's what my midterm-fogged brain came up with.

--

A gentle breeze rustles through the canopy of the evergreen forest, transporting the sharp, heady scent of conifer leaves into the open air. Situated on a graduating slope at the foot of a mountain, the trees are of remarkable width, nearly as old as the hills themselves and a tribute to the life they house.

The soil is kept fertile by insects and small invertebrates living in the loose topsoil, preyed upon by small mammals scurrying through tracks in the loose loam and leaf litter. Larger animals roam nearby, serene and almost calm during this season of plenty. Meters above the bustle of mammals, the first limbs stretch out, some nearly as wide in circumference as saplings. This is the next level of habitation, with feathered creatures darting in and out of knotholes and small nests of twigs and down nestled in the forks of branches. On occasion, the slumbering form of a feathered, nocturnal predator can be spotted among the deep shadows. Even rarer would be a glimpse of the smooth scales and flickering tongue of an egg-stealing reptile, feasting off the bounty of the nests.

One particular tree is of interest. It is a monster even among its brethren and situated at the very center of the forest. In its youth it probably contributed to the growth of the forest; who knows how many of the now-elderly trees were once its sapling offspring?

But that is not its most interesting feature.

On a limb nearly at the top of the tree, one that extends above the canopy of the younger trees and provides a view of the entire valley beneath the mountain, stands a young man.

His violet eyes are half lidded as he scents the breeze rising from the forest, absorbing the clean smell of spices and evergreen with a dash of fresh water from a spring nearby.

As there is no one else nearby, he has allowed himself to fully relax. His hind claws are half extended into the bark of the limb while his lion's tail swings gently behind him, keeping him balanced and steady. His chest is bare and wings as long as he is tall stretch out from his shoulder blades, flexing in a way they rarely get a chance to. It is a pity that they are so often hidden; the dark brown feathers are beautiful. They shine where the sun hits them head on, reflecting deep violet.

The sight is mesmerizing, as if a fairytale creature has stepped out a storybook and into real life.

But, as beautiful moments are wont to do, this one does not last long. The young man snaps to attention when some shrubs rustle in the distance, pricking his ears in the direction of the sound. It is a familiar person; not a threat but not someone he wishes to reveal his secret to. He aims a final longing glance at the open air so close at hand but resists the urge to spread his wings and soar away; in this close proximity, he would definitely be seen.

Instead, he folds the limbs close to his back and dons the shirt he had formerly been clutching to his chest. Then he fully extends both fore and hind claws and begins the long climb to the forest floor.

He can't help but consider how much easier it would be just to soar down on the thermals, to feel the wind ruffling his feathers…

That thought is cut off as soon as it appears. Trying to fly among trees is dangerous for any avian, more so for one with such a large wingspan. If he tries to fly among these trees, he will be lucky to break only a wing and he knows it.

When he is halfway down the trunk, he pauses to give his fingers and toes time to rest. His claws might be strong but they were evolved to be of use in low trees or in hunting on the ground, not in climbing two hundred meters straight down.

"Kira? Kira! Where are you?"

His ears snap to attention, startled at the voice. Not because it's unfamiliar but because the setting is so far displaced from where he expects to find its owner.

"Athrun?"

"Kira!"

The human finally manages to spot Kira, hidden high in the shadows, and approaches the big tree to lean against it, panting to regain the breath lost in running up the mountain.

"Athrun?" Kira descends a few branches but his natural caution towards humans outweighs the anxiety he feels at his friend's appearance. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"I…there was this dream." He sounds uncharacteristically embarrassed and Kira's trepidation grows.

"A dream?"

"Yeah…there was…I hurt you, Kira." His eyes are wide and mournful as he looks up and Kira feels a bit comforted. That's Athrun, alright.

"It's alright, Athrun." Kira descends a few more meters but no further. Something is wrong...this situation doesn't _feel _right.

"Yeah, I know." He looks even more embarrassed, now that he has gotten over his fear. "Sorry to bother you. I just…"

"Just what?"

"Had to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Kira gives Athrun his best approximation of a smile, despite the sinking feeling in his chest. Athrun is _human, _he shouldn't be here. Something is very, very wrong.

"Athrun?"

"Hm?"

"How did you get here?"

Athrun's puzzled look makes Kira's tail twitch in embarrassment. It isn't a very good question.

"I ran?"

"No, I mean…well, you're human."

"Yeah, so?"

"Humans don't come here, Athrun. They never have. That's why it's safe."

"Humans aren't safe?"

As Kira opens his mouth to respond, Athrun steps backwards behind a nearby tree and vanishes completely from sight, hearing, and scent.

The surge of shock snaps him violently awake.

--

Kira sits up with a gasp, feeling the mental and physical scars from the past few days settle, and looks wildly for the human that played a pivotal role in his dream. Athrun is standing about five meters away, on the other side of a plastic barrier and facing the opposite direction.

Too shaken to stay still, Kira slips away into the faux forest environment he was placed in mere hours earlier and goes searching for water.

The tree dream is nothing special but this is the first time anyone else, of any species, has appeared in it.

As he bends over the concrete lined pool and splashes his face with the slightly metallic tasting water, he wonders what it means. It might be his subconscious trying to tell him something but Kira has never been much of a dream weaver so he decides to ignore that possibility.

In any case, he'll have a much harder time staying wary of the human if his dream-self considers him a friend.

--

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

I'll send out summaries for the next real chapter (since this one is just a place holder and update, there isn't really any point to sending one out for it)


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